Surprised??!!

At the inaugral edition of the PechaKucha night Hyderabad, a gentleman presented a 20x20 talk on his new venture, let's call it V. It is a place that takes orders for surprises i.e. if A wishes to surprise a loved one B on a special occasion or even otherwise, A just needs to furnish the V-team with some info on the likes/dislikes of B and voilà! they will generate a bunch of 'free' thoughtful ideas from which A can pick one and then pay V for 'arranging' the surprise. I was surprised! at the presenter's enthusiasm about the idea of outsourcing of all the things - a surprise?

Umm..personally, I wouldn't find an outsourced surprise particularly flattering. Surprises are after all gestures which at least I appreciate not for anything else but the effort that goes into making them happen; that feeling of 'Awww..you did ALL this for ME?'...I wonder how many would argue that having someone else plan/implement a gesture does not reflect insincerity and even shallowness. Howmuchsoever convenient it may sound, I wonder if a splendid or extravagant outsourced surprise can for anyone really even do what a sincere compliment can. Knowing that there is an existing clientele for this venture makes me more curious than ever on how varied are the ways in which various people feel about creating moments in relationships.  

Wishing the V-team all the best and really looking forward to discover how this venture idea takes off! 

Towards better design..

Let's talk about focusing on the design of a solution. The Russians nailed it when they used pencils in space - my first lesson in focusing on the solution instead of the problem. However, in designing solutions to problems, a third option tends to add to the confusion - the problem, the solution and the 'cleanup'. In the context of Russian space research,

- Not being able to record data in zero-gravity space is analogous to the problem.

- The pencil is analogous to the solution.

- NASA trying to invent techniques to somehow make sense out of bad data recorded with an earthy pen!

Well that in all its absurdity is analogous to the cleanup and it tends to creep into most designs. The cleanup solution, as usual, has its attractive instant gratification but neither does it solve the actual problem of 'not being able to record data' nor does it stop the bad data from coming in. The mess persists forever!

In a community initiative, if an NGO invests more on tending to its subjects (say poor/abused/sick) than on reducing the possibility of more subjects being generated, then it has fallen into the cleanup trap of solution designing. Time to realign its focus!

Two good questions to ask for validating a design D: 

• 
  
  Does D help me get what I want (space research data/welfare of subjects)?
• 
  
  Will D take me closer to ending what I am trying to fight (bad data/poverty/crime)?

Success if both affirmative!

The power of the band

Silicone wristbands, more popularly known as the awareness bracelets have become a way to express loyalty to a cause or belongingness to a community. My personal favorites are Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong bands and these.

One day over lunch, one thing led to another and a new band idea was born. We all mortals, at some point in time are on the usual diet control regimen imposed on us by self/doctor. So at any given place, the number of people on a diet is mostly huge enough to form a local support system and in moments of temptation and weakness, all diet-ers could use a little push or some may even do better with the feeling of being watched over.

A lot is possible with 'I am on a diet' bands! Imagine the Subway guy at the office cafeteria regulating the mayo on your sub taking a hint from your wrist band. Or picture an onlooker giving you a kind look to back you fight the chocolate bar at the supermarket. I know fellow foodies understand what I am trying to say.

I thought I should establish our IPR on this idea ASAP. In all its humour, due credit also goes to my friends Dhruv and Suhas.